Held
by jewelsbyers
Summary: When they met, he knew what he wanted and she had no idea what she in for. Her blood was calling him while his actions were driving her away. Will she die trying to live and will he spend eternity alone? James' POV
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **__So, as mentioned on my profile, here is the first chapter of James' POV of _Held_. This story was written with the fantastic Liyorah and she's writing Victoria's POV, which can be found here: _.net/s/5856335/1/Held_. _

The hunt itself was entertaining. Tracking a helpless human down while they did everything they could to avoid death at my hands; drove interstate, got on a plane to Australia, took leave in Europe, I knew all their tricks.

It was over all too quickly though. The hunt itself could only last so long and, as humans are such fragile creatures, there's only so much torture they can take before they die. I wanted a game that would last so much longer; months, years even. I wanted a human to kneel at my feet and beg for my bite, beg for death and I would laugh and drag my game out for as long as I pleased before killing them.

But that would take control, patience, skill...

But I had all three of the criteria.

I tapped my fingers on the small table in the corner of the club. Clubs were the easiest places for me to hunt when I was looking for a victim; here, with the flashing lights and dark atmosphere, my pale skin and red eyes were concealed to great effect and, if any one of the pathetic creatures here _did _happen to see my rather inhuman features, they hardly looked out of place.

I scanned the large room, considering. _If_ I was to go ahead with my plan then I would have to choose my victim carefully. Anyone too weak would be too easily broken and I might as well just hunt them conventionally, anyone too strong, someone with nothing to lose or gain, wouldn't care if they lived or died and would provide no sport. I needed someone strong, but with a weakness.

I would definitely take a woman - Lord knew how much men and their false bravado irritated me. Besides that, I was, to use the term the humans were using now, straight. Also, women were more exciting; they panicked early but allowed you to lead them into a false sense of security. A few croons and 'It's alright, it's not very far along, just down here, I won't hurt you' and they'd already forgotten their panic. By the time they realised that something was very, very wrong, it was far too late. Then they started to beg.

My plan was taking shape. First, I needed a victim, then I needed their scent so that I could track them easily later on and, thirdly, I needed them to trust me, just a little bit, so that I wouldn't have to take them by force when I actually _did_ come to kidnap them.

I scanned the club, wondering if there was a suitable pet here. Pet, hmmm, was that the right term? Yes, I think so. I had intentions to use the human female I chose for sexual gratification, among other things, during the course of her captivity.

As I searched, my eyes settled on a group of young woman dancing across the other side of the dance floor. They all looked to be in their early twenties; young, energetic, alive...

I studied each of the in turn. I brushed off the pair of identical brunette twins who were so drunk they could barely stay upright and were giggling each other's names "Kate, Stacy, Kate, Stacy". A shorter, slightly pudgy blonde was also immediately passed over because of the nervous terror in her eyes, she obviously didn't want to be here and would break much too quickly for my liking. I wanted six months with the human before they started pleading for death, at least!

So, out of the group, that left two who might be suitable. One had a Eurasian complexion with black hair, wide eyes and a few freckles. She was pretty, by mortal standards, if a little drunk. There was a hard edge to her that would be fun to soften and snap off before killing her. The second who might be suitable was a red head who had her back to me.

_Turn around _I thought _I want to see your face. Turn around._

"Sutherland!" came a male voice and the red head turned to face the speaker. She had a large pair of vivid green eyes that were full of strength, resilience and determination. Her eyes were the dominant feature of her face, the rest of her paled into insignificance when compared with her deep green pools of defiance. I licked my lips; I wanted to see those little emeralds leak with tears, see her shoulders heave with sobs and hear her voice beg for her death.

I laughed softly. I'd found my pet.

I watched her talk with her boyfriend, laughing about something he said and smacking him playfully in the chest when he said something that annoyed her. To use a modern expression, it was obvious that the girl 'wore the pants' in her relationship.

Not for long beautiful girl.

I left my seat and slipped over to the bar, waiting for the girl to stop talking with her boyfriend. The male was irritating me, I could already feel the sweeping, possessive urges I got towards my prey when I went on the hunt; the desire to ensure that I had them all to myself with no interference from anyone else.

When the male was called over by one of his friends I seized my chance and slithered over to the red head before she could get back to her friends.

"Good evening" I crooned seductively to her and she turned around and gave me a quick look up and down. Her eyes said it all. She, in her strappy high heels, leather pants and white t-shirt gathered at the wrists and waist, belonged here. Me, in my worn backpackers shirt, weather stained jeans and shoes that I'd stolen from somewhere so that I could mix with human society without looking too conspicuous, did not belong here.

She was cordial however. I introduced myself to her and she did the same to me. Her name was Victoria Sutherland. Victoria, that was ironic.

"How about a dance?" I asked smoothly and she hesitated for a moment and glanced around for her boyfriend before saying "Um.., sure why not" and I led her over to the dance floor. Aside from one comment about the temperature of my hands around her waist, she didn't seem to notice that I was particularly different. While we danced, we talked and I found out that her father was Justice Phillip Sutherland, a well known judge in his home state of Massachusetts and her mother was the Massachusetts state coroner. When I asked what she was doing in New York she told me she was pursuing a classical studies degree majoring in ancient Roman languages and politics at Cornell. She asked me what I was doing and I made up a story about studying a law degree, she gave me an odd look and adjusted my hands back to where they had been earlier, they'd slid a little bit lower than she was comfortable with.

I offered to buy her a drink to try and keep her lips moving but it turned out that she didn't drink so I offered to dance with her again but she declined and bade me good bye and went back to join her friends and boyfriend, almost throwing herself back into his arms. I'd alarmed her, that was unexpected but not unwelcome. I stood by the bar and watched for a while. Her boyfriend seemed a little upset that she'd been dancing with me. He sent me a look that said, quite clearly 'Keep your hands off my girl'. I flashed my slick, venom coated teeth back at him and gave him a look with a similar message 'Keep your hands off my property'. He looked away and I smiled before leaving.

My discussion with Victoria had yielded her scent and an interesting little bit of background information. Her parents probably had a few contacts within the law, there would be uproar when she disappeared and it would be so much fun to taunt them with phone calls (the kind that couldn't be traced of course) about what I was doing to their little girl.

With the scent of my soon-to-be pet still filling my nostrils I went out into the night to hunt. I would kidnap her within the week and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't too thirsty, because, after all, the end result would be in me luxuriating in her blood as it slid down my throat and I wasn't going to kidnap someone unappetizing, there would be just no point.

_**A/N: **__Well, what did you think? Be sure to click on the link up to top to read Victoria's POV of this chapter. Also, I know I've got to put the last chapter of _God's Gift _but I'm waiting to see if I get any more votes on what to write next. So far I've got ONE! If you want me to write something after _God's Gift _go to my blog and read the _After God's Gift _post._


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **__Alright, here's the second chapter of James' POV of _Held_. It occurs a few hours after the party while he makes arrangements for kidnapping Victoria. James and Victoria are the property of Stephanie Meyer, but don't tell them they belong to anyone or they'll probably kill you (literally). As always, Liyorah, who is writing this story with me, is freaking fantastic and she'll be posting the second chapter of Victoria's POV of _Held_ shortly.  
_

**Chapter Two**

I spun the rosary beads I'd taken as my trophy from my kill not five minutes ago lazily around on my finger. The crucifix caught the light and I smiled. Humans were so idiotic sometimes, believing that plastic trinkets could save them from me.

I tied the beads to my belt along with several other trophies I'd collected over the centuries. I would admit that the hunt hadn't been particularly fun, possibly because, for the first time in a very long time, I was simply hunting to sate my thirst. That was rare, the urge to drink came second to the hunt, but I didn't have the patience to hunt tonight. My thoughts kept straying back to my red headed pet somewhere in this god forsaken state. She was probably enjoying her boyfriend's carnal embraces, unaware of the future that was about to unfold for her.

I smiled and strode away from the mangled body of the woman. I had to pride myself on my handiwork, draining her completely in seventh floor apartment, pushing her off her own balcony and then jumping after her to make sure that she really was dead; it had been clever. When I hunted in densely populated areas, and there was no shortage of variety in places like Ithaca and the wider New York state, I tended to make the deaths look like accidents or suicides. In less populated areas an unexplained death was usually written off an animal attack, so there was less need to disguise the cause of death.

As I walked I wondered, where would I take the girl, Victoria, she'd said her name was, when I kidnapped her. If at all possible I wanted to avoid using force, not because I didn't want to hurt her, oh no, she would have an extraordinary good understanding of exactly how the human body felt pain by the time I was through with her, but because I didn't want to draw attention to us. She was very distinctive with her flaming hair and hourglass figure, she would stand out for miles and taking her less conspicuously would save me from having to come back and cover my tracks later.

Also, people were less likely to pay attention to a girl like her leaving with someone like me than they were to anything that even looked remotely violent. If possible, I would like to kidnap her someplace quiet, a little isolated even, so that it would take time for people to notice she was missing and there would be less people around to hear her short, quickly cut off scream.

I would also need a place to take her. I considered the seventh floor apartment that had recently been vacated by the owner's unfortunate 'suicide', but then remembered that Victoria would probably scream quite a bit, which would alert the neighbours both above and below, and there would no doubt be a police investigation in that apartment shortly once someone found the body of my victim from tonight.

I could keep her in one of the small places I owned, but no. Even though they were isolated they were designed for short term play with a victim, I could keep her in one of them for a day, at the very longest. There were no bathroom or kitchen facilities in any of them and just because Victoria was about to become my pet did not mean that her human needs would magically disappear. But my isolated little properties - which were owned by 'Jim Withers' - could be a good place to take her once I first had her as long as I knew where I was going to take her next. That could work; I could leave Victoria at the house, I'd probably have to tie her up to make sure that she didn't injure herself while I was gone, and then go and deal with any humans who might be living in the accommodation I'd chosen for my pet and myself and then come back to get her.

I considered for a moment before deciding that the aforethought plan was easily the simplest and most effective way of taking Victoria away from help and keeping the damned humans off my trail. I smiled to myself, finding myself going back in the direction of the club where I'd first met my beautiful red headed pet, it was shut for the night but her scent, mixed with the scents of hundreds of other humans, still permeated the air. I followed her scent, the scent of her boyfriend and a slightly oriental scent I guessed belonged to her Eurasian friend. She and her boyfriend split ways at an intersection and I followed her scent and the scent of her friend to a block of student apartments near Cornell University.

Making sure that it was completely dark I quickly scaled the building, following their scent to a window near the top of the apartment block. They hadn't drawn their curtains yet and I peered in.

Victoria and her Eurasian friend, Victoria was calling her Flo, were laughing and talking with each other about college and classes. From what it could pick up, it appeared the Flo didn't share Victoria's passion for ancient Rome. I watched while they got ready for bed and, had I been paying any attention, I would have noticed Flo looking right at me. As it was, I didn't see her until she gave a small scream "Vicki!" and I darted away just as my red headed pet turned to face the window saying "What?! What's the matter Flo?"

Once I was safely away from any prying eyes I smiled to myself. I knew where Victoria lived, where she went to college and, if her actions tonight had been anything to go by, I knew what she did in her spare time when she wasn't quizzing herself on the habits of Julius Caesar.

I would wait maybe a week or so before taking her. That way I would simply become a rather tame memory, a man she met at a club who she would never see again. I laughed softly, unable to help myself. Ah, precious Victoria, if only you knew!

_**A/N: **__I know this was a short one, the action will start next chapter. This was basically just warming up and allowing you a bit more insight into the workings of James' rather creepy brain. Review (pretty please with sugar and James on top) and also check out Victoria's side of the story which can be found under _Held_ on Liyorah's profile._


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **__Well, here we are. Sorry it took so long, Liyorah and I had a bit of trouble with this chapter, but this is where all the action really begins. Liyorah's Victoria POV will be up in a few hours (we're literally on different sides of the world) so make sure you check that one out when it appears. So, here we go with James POV. Oh, a quick warning, two people die in this chapter, but, after all, this _is _James._

**Chapter Three**

The big, black luxury car carrying a suited human businessman and his wife skidded to a stop in front of me as I stepped out onto the deserted back road.

"What's the matter with you?!" the human rolled down his window to yell at me and I surveyed him through the pair of sunglasses I'd stolen from a car that had been quite nice, but hadn't had tinted windows. I needed a car with tinted windows, and a car that would be able to handle driving at my preferred speed.

I didn't like cars much, no car was as fast as I was and I hated to be restricted by walls, any kind of walls. That was why I was a nomad.

"I need a ride" I told him, coming up to the open window. I probably looked like an absolute fool to the human couple but the damned sun had decided to show its face which left me no choice but to wear my current attire. Boots, a long coat, a broad brimmed hat, sunglasses and a pair of gloves to keep the sun from revealing my true nature to the humans. But it also drew attention to me and attention was something I could do without. The sunglasses were also serving another purpose, my eyes were still noticeably red up close and I couldn't afford for anyone to notice that I had red eyes.

"Well, go and get one off someone else!" the man yelled at me, his face turning a rather ugly purple and I leaned in close to the window, deciding that nobody would miss the short tempered men and his docile wife.

"I insist, good sir, that you give me a ride" I whispered in my deadliest voice and the man shuddered slightly before drawing himself up in his seat and saying "Are you threatening me, sir?!"

I removed my sunglasses and the man recoiled and his wife gave a started squeak "I don't threaten" I told him "I act. Now, I tell you one more time..."

"You think I'm scared of a pair of contacts?!" he demanded and I sighed. No, nobody would miss this one.

I reached in to the car through the open window and the man gave an angry human approximation of a snarl "Get your hand out of..."

I wrapped my fingers around his neck, compressing his vocal cords and cutting off his oxygen. He gasped and tried to struggle from my grip and his wife watched me with wide eyed terror, seeming frozen to her seat.

I continued to squeeze the man's throat until I heard the bones of his neck crunch and he fell lifeless against the steering wheel. His wife screamed and began to fumble with her seatbelt. I didn't kill her as slowly; I simply caught her throat and snapped her neck before disposing of both bodies. By the time they were found they would have decomposed beyond recognition and the humans would need all their fancy technologies to find out who they were. The question would be how on earth their necks had been broken.

Hmm, I might have to do something about that. Once those bodies were found that would bring the number of deaths in the area up to three in a relativity short space of time and I didn't want the Volturi showing up and ruining what fun I was going to have with my pet.

I could fake a car accident, but I needed the car for myself. I thought for a moment, before deciding I'd have to burn the bodies and scatter the ashes. I sighed, annoyed. Burning human bodies took time and time was not something I wanted to waste idly burning bodies. But I had no choice, it was burn the bodies or risk the Volturi paying a visit and disposing of me.

The bodies took hours to burn. By the time I'd scattered the ashes it was well into the afternoon and I was worried that I was going to have to withhold my plans. I was intending on kidnapping Victoria today or, if necessary, tonight. I wanted her to come with me willingly, so I intended to ask her out. The only hurdle I could see was if she was loyal to her boyfriend, that could prevent my plan from taking shape... well, actually, it wouldn't. It would simply mean I had to take her by force and, if possible, I wanted to avoid that. It wasn't that I didn't want to hurt her, I just wanted to see the look on her face when she realised she was being kidnapped and she'd willingly got into the car with her captor.

I went back to the car and smiled before sliding into the front seat. I threw off the sunglasses, coat and gloves and kicked off the boots. I undid all the buttons of my shirt and laughed at the feeling of being free from my constraints.

Humans were good for some things, I decided and the red needle shot across to the far right of the speedometer as I touched the accelerator.

* * *

An hour later I was driving much slower than I was accustomed, _lower_ than the speed limit, with all the windows down while I followed Victoria's scent towards Cornell University. I had to drive slowly, despite the fact that I hated it, because driving at the speeds I preferred when I had to drive would mean I would probably kill a few useless humans. Not that I minded killing useless humans, but Victoria was unlikely to get into a car with blood dripping from the hood.

I followed her scent into the university complex and found her jogging along 34th near the university library. From what I'd seen of her at the club and the information I'd been gathering over the past few days I wouldn't be surprised if all the librarians in there knew what Victoria had for breakfast every morning!

I slowed a little, making a face at the music she was listening too. She, on the other hand, laughed, obviously liking what was pouring into her ears. She began to pick up her pace; obviously she had neither seen nor heard me. I went to grab the sunglasses before deciding that she wouldn't be close enough to see my red eyes. I beeped the horn at her.

She fell and I instantly stopped breathing, had she cut herself? I took a tentative breath and was relieved when I couldn't smell fresh blood, just her tantalizing scent. Venom pooled in my mouth and I swallowed back. Control, I reminded myself. Control.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" she blasphemed, yanking her earphones out of her ears "What?!"

I rolled down the window and couldn't help but look over her like she was a horse I wanted to purchase. Well, perhaps that was a good analogy, after all, horses needed to be broken...

"Um... hi, James" she called sounding awkward and I put on my being-friendly-to-the-bottom-of-the-food-chain smile.

"Hello, Victoria" I said to her and she nodded and I felt a little frustrated, she hadn't seemed awkward when I'd danced with her at the club! Had she had a drink? No, she'd told me she didn't drink.

"Er, fancy running into you here" she said trying to make conversation and I decided to tell what little of the truth I could "Actually, Victoria, I was looking for you"

She eyed me warily and I inwardly cursed myself. Now she'd be worried. Damn this accursed century for teaching women the danger of men who went looking for them! There had been a time when a woman was flattered if a man went out of his way to look for her.

"I was wondering" I continued, throwing out all my charms designed to lure in prey "If you would perhaps like to go to the movies with me?"

She would say yes, I was irresistible to my weak human prey.

"No. Thank you, James, but no"

_What_ did she just say to me?! Did she just _defy_ me?! Insolence even before I kidnapped her! Oh, she was a treasure!

"Victoria" I said, trying to sound a little hurt while on the inside I glowed "I am..." I hesitated for a moment, as if trying to find the right words and Victoria interrupted.

"Look, James. I'm sure you're really..." she hesitated for a moment. Not long enough for a human to notice but I heard it "...nice, but, I already have a boyfriend"

The mention of her boyfriend caused the possessive urges I'd been feeling for the past few days to build up to the point of exploding and I took a deep breath, realised my mistake and let it out again quickly before more venom could pool. Quite suddenly I didn't feel like playing the heart broken suitor anymore.

"And he really loves me" she went on and my vision took on a red tinge, perhaps I'd kill lover-boy before I took her. I could drink him in front of her! Oh the idea was tempting... but no. He would be one of the first people to notice that she was missing and I wanted people to notice she was missing.

That didn't mean I was any less angry, however.

"And, I'll be honest with you James, I just don't feel comfortable going out with you"

You have no idea.

"But, thank you anyway. Maybe I'll see you around?" her voice was tentative as she offered me an olive branch, she seemed quite desperate for me to take it.

I could hardly control my rage.

"Alright" I said, more to myself than her but she may very well have heard "Alright then, we'll do this the hard way"

I rolled the window up and sped away, driving at a speed that I preferred. Pedestrians leapt out of my way, drivers beeped horns and raised fingers at me and I all but caused an accident at an intersection when I didn't stop for the red light.

I dumped the car back near where I'd scattered the ashes of the man and his wife - I wished I'd left them alive I could do with a game or two right now - and ran back into town, keeping to the shadows lest someone see a glitter of diamonds and glance my way.

I scaled Victoria's apartment building, making sure that there were no humans in sight and went in through the window where I'd been seen by my pet's Eurasian friend the night I'd met her.

I moved too softly for their security system to pick up that anybody had entered and I disabled it before I did something that might set it off. Once that was done I went into Victoria's room and slid into her wardrobe, closing the door softly behind me before I became still. I didn't breathe because the whole place was saturated in her scent and I didn't want to lose control early nor did I want to become accustomed to her fragrance.

When she came back a few hours later her friend and boyfriend were with her. When they came in her friend started babbling about the security system and that the window was open. I heard Victoria sigh and then call out that she was taking a shower. It then occurred to me that she would need to come into her wardrobe to change after her shower. As soon as the water was running and Victoria's friend and boyfriend were talking I slipped from the wardrobe and lay under the bed. These were going to be a long few hours.

Finally - _finally _- after what felt like centuries (and I knew what centuries felt like) I heard Victoria's friends say that they were going to get DVDs from the store and that she was going to take a break from studying for her 'lit test', whatever that was.

I waited until the pair had left, arguing about what movie to get before I came out from under Victoria's bed. I moved soundlessly into the living room of her apartment until I was standing right behind her. She paused and I watched the hairs stand up on the back of her neck as she realised that someone, or something, was behind her.

She began to turn her head but I was quicker. I grabbed her, putting one hand tightly over her mouth and pinching her nose with the other.

She twisted and squirmed in my suffocating grip, clawing at my hands. I was glad I wasn't a human male attempting this; if I was, I would have no skin left on my hands. Eventually, her struggles started to weaken and I put my lips to her ear and murmured "Don't be frightened sweetheart, it's alright now. Master's here, master's come. Don't be scared, master's finally come to take his precious pet"

She went limp in my arms.

_**A/N: **__Oh no! A cliff-hanger! Don't worry, the next chapter will be out as soon as possible. Don't forget, me and Liyorah need to coordinate, which is why updates can be slow. Also, please review! I'm so glad people are faving both mine and Liyorah's versions of this story but a little review goes a long way. Even a simple 'This is great' or 'This sucks' works fine for me._


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: **__Well, here is the long awaited chapter four! Sorry this one is a little late guys, it took a while to write. You'll notice, once you've __read and reviewed__ both mine and Liyorah's versions of this chapter that mine starts earlier then hers and finishes earlier and her starts later and finishes later. This is simply because Victoria has been knocked out by James (remember?) so we decided that having a little bit extra at the end of Victoria's POV and a little bit more at the beginning of James' POV made sense. Now, read and enjoy!_

**Chapter Four**

After checking that she really was unconscious - I'd had one human manage to pull the wool over my eyes by pretending to be when I'd done this once before - I took my hands away from her airways and she fell forward onto the desk. I caught her head before it could hit the wood hard enough to wake her up and lay it on the side so that she could breathe.

From there I went around and flipped off all the lights and closed and locked the windows from the inside, and then I picked up Victoria. I slung her carefully over my shoulder and then pushed her chair in under her desk before I did a final check to make sure that she was still alive; I'd once heard that humans could die from shock.

She was limp and floppy, but breathing, and I carried her out the door, pausing on my way out to set the security system as Flo had done and pressing the lock on the inside of the door before I shut it to lock it from the inside. No one would have any idea how I would have got in.

I found an outside window and scrambled up the side of the building, making sure that she was securely over my shoulder, I jumped onto the flat roof of the next apartment building. From here I had an excellent view of the university and the city surrounding it. I took a deep breath in, breathing in all the flavours that such a weak species had managed to create. The ashy taste of the smog, the clear prick of the water, the metallic scent of motor oil...

I breathed in again, this time tasting all the unique scents of the millions of humans scurrying along like rats in an alley. Victoria's scent overpowered all the others and I suddenly felt like laughing, she was _mine_! Every last inch of her belonged exclusively to me!

Among the babble of human conversations I heard the sounds of Victoria's friends coming back with their DVDs. I heard Flo inform the boy, Luke, she called him, that Victoria 'loves musicals and _Hairspray_ is the only one she hasn't seen yet!'

The boy answered back, saying that something called _Disturbia _was an over-night loan so they had to watch that first.

I watched them, Victoria over my shoulder, as they went to the door of the apartment and tried to open it. They couldn't and neither of them had a key. The boy pounded on the door "Oi! Vicki, let us in babe!" I watched them for a few more minutes until Flo remembered that Victoria had put a spare key somewhere and she eventually found it. She unlocked the door and, as she and Luke entered I heard her say "That's weird, it's all dark. Do you think she went to bed already?"

I laughed as I heard the door shut and I turned and ran across the rooftops. I could feel Victoria's head knocking against my back and I considered if I should do something about that before deciding that a little headache when she woke up wouldn't be too serious. It wasn't like I was going to take her tonight, that could wait a week or so, once she'd had time to get used to her situation.

I returned to the spot where I'd left the flashy car and gently lay Victoria down in this backseat and then pulled the two seatbelts across her body to make sure that she didn't move around too much while I drove. I considered tying her up, but decided against it, knowing the way I drove. If I tied her up she'd probably get rope cuts and I didn't want to test my endurance to her blood in an enclosed environment - I would probably have to go back for her Eurasian friend if that happened.

It took me only a few hours, driving at the speed I was to get out of metropolitan New York and the surrounding suburbia and into the heavily wooded area outside it. I dumped the car and pulled Victoria from the back seat. This time I carried her in my arms as I noticed a rather nasty bruise developing on her forehead. I touched it gently; making sure the skull wasn't fractured. Once I'd ascertained that it was simply a bruise I ran with her through the heavily wooded area to one of the small cabins I owned. I would keep her here for a day, maybe two, until I found a place where I could keep her for longer until I was forced to move on. Not that I would be leaving her behind, of course.

"I hope you like planes, beautiful girl" I whispered to her unconscious form "We'll be flying a lot"

I'd prepared the cabin for my arrival here by going shopping a few days ago and everything was set up for Victoria's arrival.

The bedroom, where she would stay while she was here, had no door handle on the inside and I'd bordered up the window. Padded wrist and ankle cuffs were attached to the four corners of the bed so that I could tie her up and leave her for a few hours while I went and finished my shopping for her. I also had a piece of material that I could tie around her mouth while I was gone if I wanted to. No human had ever even come close to finding any of my very isolated cabins... well, that wasn't exactly true, but those who I brought here never lived to tell anyone else where they were. Regardless, gagging her wasn't a necessity... but it could be fun.

In the end I did gag her; simply because I realised that, if I didn't, it would be the one time a human would be out hiking too close to one of my cabins and hear her screaming if she woke up.

I attached the cuffs to her wrists and ankles so that she was spread eagle across the bed and, fighting the urge to take her here and now just because she was my pet and I was her master, I slipped out of the room.

I closed the door behind me and smiled, I had some shopping to do before Victoria woke up.

When I returned several hours later with quite a few bags full of, ah, _interesting _equipment, I heard muffled cries coming from the room where Victoria was. Oh dear, she'd woken up.

I put most of the bags down in the main room, keeping only one with me and then moved to open Victoria's door.

"Oh" I said in a mock gentle voice "Was I really gone that long? You must have panicked, waking up without me here! My poor, little baby; shh, shh".

I sat on the bed next to her and stroked her face. Her eyes looked up at me first in terrified confusion and then in petrified recognition and she struggled against the cuffs and tried to yell louder than before.

"Don't cry, pet" I crooned mockingly to her, still stroking her face "Master's here now, he'll take care of you"

She looked up at me with terrified eyes and squirmed a little more. I put a hand on her chest to hold her still, part of me wishing that I'd stripped her earlier; I didn't like touching her through her clothes. I walked my fingers up her chest and she lifted her head as best she could in her awkward position to watch my fingers. Slowly, slowly, ever so slowly, I touched her nipple through her t-shirt and bra.

She made a furious noise through her gag and tried to wriggle away from me, shaking her head furiously and I sighed, still keeping my mock kind voice on "You don't have to worry pet, master will take very good care of you. You're in safe hands".

I chuckled darkly, thinking that I couldn't even call it a white lie. She was in the hands of the most dangerous creature on the planet, but, in a strange twist, until I actually wanted her dead I would do everything in my power to keep her alive.

"I'm so glad you've woken up, Victoria" I told her, abandoning my mock kind voice and flashing my slick, venom coated teeth at her "I've just finished my shopping for you - this should last until I move us into our semi-permanent address, then I'll do a little review and see what else we need. Also, I don't want you to get too comfortable anywhere, pet, because we'll be travelling a lot. Usually I would go on foot but, as I have you, we'll have to fly or drive most places. I hope you like planes"

She was watching me with her eyes as wide as saucers. I'd never understood why humans were able to get their eyes so wide; it wasn't like their vision improved when they did it!

"I want to show you some of the purchases I got for you, sweetheart, just so you can..." I hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words to taunt her with "...fully understand what's going to happen between us"

Because it would be easier for her to see if she was sitting I got up and, moving at human speed, I undid the restraints around her ankles. She immediately started to kick at me but I stepped aside easily. She couldn't hurt me, her weak human violence would be like a feather attacking stone, but I didn't want her to break her leg... well, not yet at least.

I put my hands around her waist and half lifted her into a sitting position before I moved at my usual speed down to the end of the bed, grabbed the bag I'd brought in with me and then sat back on the bed beside her.

"So, I have the basic essentials for your human needs, a few little tablets to, ah, help you sleep" I had to smirk at that. I'd had to forge prescriptions to get the sedatives I wanted from the human chemist.

"I also have several changes of clothes for you" another smirk, I doubted Victoria's would appreciate my choice of 'clothes' for her "And a few other items that will, ah, how shall I phrase this, _help_" I stressed the term simply to taunt her "you to understand your position here, pet"

I reached into the bag and felt my hand close around the handle of the whip and the long, wooden cane; both of which I'd purchased for the purposes of punishing her if she refused to follow my orders, or simply for the hell of it.

I lay the two implements out on the bed and smiled mockingly at her. She looked down at the implements, up at me and then back down at them and I smiled and put my hand under her chin to force her to look me in the eye.

"I hope I don't have to punish you _too_ often, pet" I told her, knowing that I was lying. I could hear the sadistic pleasure in my own voice, inflicting pain and humiliation of her would be so much fun.

"But, if I do have to punish you, here's how it will work;" I took the whip and ran the tails across her stomach "The first time you disobey an order, _any_ order, I'm going to spank you with my hand, a second time: I'm going to take a whip to you and if you happen to disobey me a _third_ time - and I do hope you don't, Victoria - I'm going to cane you. If that doesn't teach you a lesson then I have more _creative_ ways of teaching you lessons. Do you understand, just nod or shake your head"

Her head stayed resolutely, defiantly, still.

I sighed. "Already, pet? This isn't good you know"

She did nothing except make a furious noise through the gag and I smiled and put my hands on the side of her head "Let me show you what I want, pet" I moved her head up and down in my hands "This means 'Yes, James'" and then I shook her head from side to side "And this means 'No James'"

"Yes, James. No, James. Yes, James. No, James" I nodded and shook her head for her while she tried to fight me off. I smiled, I had endless patience. I could and would do this for as long as it took for her to acknowledge me.

Eventually, the discomfort obviously becoming too much for her, she started nodding her head.

"Very good, pet" I told her, leaning in to give her a swift, mocking kiss on the cheek "I knew you could do it"

"Now, we also need to deal with your standards of dress" I told her, looking down over the strange garments she'd chosen to wear to bed. "This won't do. You are mine, which means you will show yourself to me without hesitation or fear at all times. So..."

I gripped her t-shirt in one hand and, with one fluid movement; I tore it from her body. She made an incoherent noise through her gag.

"You're very beautiful, aren't you?" I crooned, stroking one of her nipples while she thrashed desperately, trying to get away from me. I walked my fingers down her chest and stomach to the waist band of her pyjama pants, she kicked and squirmed and I put one of my hands on her ankles to hold her still while I slid them down her legs. I did everything slowly, gradually. I wanted her to understand the concept of 'master and his pet' in relation to her position with me.

Once she was completely naked I pushed her back down to the bed and cuffed her ankles again; I would untie her shortly but her incessant struggling was beginning to annoy me. There would be plenty of time to fight me while I began to break her.

I looked down at her, surveying every inch of her. She was so perfect, so sweet... she was _mine_. This meant I could do anything I wanted to her...

I moved my fingers down and began to gently stroke her inner thighs. I moved my fingers closer and closer to the secret place between her legs. I wanted her.

She twisted and wriggled as I touched her there and her breath hitched a little as if she was fighting off tears. Would she cry? Part of me hoped so; another part of me wondered if having her cry now wouldn't alert me to some weakness on her part? I had no tolerance for weakness.

I withdrew my fingers from her body, stroking her thighs again.

"I can wait" I whispered to myself, wondering if she could hear me "There'll be other opportunities, many, I'll have plenty to time to savour her"

I continued to play around with my fingers on her thighs; she really was delightful.

"Do you like this, pet?" I cooed, moving up on my hands up to take hold of one of her breasts. I squeezed and touched, enjoying the feel of her warm flesh against my frozen hand. Eventually, to satisfy my cravings, I moved both of my hands to her chest. I'd done this before, both with human women and women of my kind, so I knew what they liked. Women were such simple creatures, I needed no variation in my routine when I slept with them; a touch here, a kiss there... it was all very easy.

I took a breath and, to my great surprise, I smelt human arousal. Of course, most of the human women I'd done this too had enjoyed it - until I started killing them, that is - but none of them had been being raped.

I glanced down at Victoria to find that, indeed, she was beginning to wet. How strange, perhaps the mind and the body weren't as interconnected as the humans thought... no matter, I could very easily use her own body against her.

"You do like this, don't you, my precious pet? Mm, I love the way you react to me sweetheart, but..." I paused for effect, bent down and kissed her right in the middle of her breasts before continuing.

"Another small issue, Victoria" I told her, unable to stop running my fingers over her exposed body. The warm silk of her skin felt so beautiful against my cold, stone hand. "If, at any stage, I want to take you _or _command you to pleasure me you will satisfy me completely. If you don't leave me satisfied then there will be heavy penalties. Also, I will be supplying you with clothes _if _I want you to wear them. Until we move you will live in this room, as no one but myself can get in or - I might add for your benefit - _out _of this room, I don't think you need any clothes on. Now, have I gone through all the rules... yes, I think I have. Alright Victoria, I'm going to untie you now. If you scream I'm going to tie you right back up and put the gag back in your pretty little mouth. Once we move I won't be so stringent about restraining you, but, for now, with your safety forefront in my mind, pet, I'll have to leave you locked in here, alright? Nod your head if you understand, shake your head if you don't"

Obviously remembering our earlier lesson she nodded and I smiled "Alright, I'm going to untie you now"

I uncuffed her ankles and then her wrists and she sat up quickly, curling herself up to try and hide from me.

"Pet" I cautioned her "Don't make me punish you already, sit up properly so I can take the gag out"

She reached up herself to pull the gag and I caught her wrists "Would you like to be punished, Victoria. I'll do it, you know"

She glared at me but, very unhappily, uncoiled her body. I wondered, for a moment, if I'd made a mistake in judging her. If she was just going to be a weak, submissive little human then I might as well just kill her now. But then I looked in her eyes and saw a defiant spark in them. I smiled inwardly while keeping my face smooth as I removed the gag in her mouth; she was just biding her time.

I took the gag from her mouth and she moved her jaw a few times before she looked me in the eye and said "Never call me 'pet' again you inconsiderate bastard!"

_**A/N: **__Ok, now that you've read it, please review it. I don't mean to sound desperate but I haven't got a single review for this story. Is it because you all hate my writing? Also be aware, if you only review the part of the story I'm writing, then Liyorah can't see the review and vice versa; and if you're only reading one side of the story you've missing out on important background information. So please, if you review, review __**both **__sides of the story. Liyorah's version of __**Held **__is fantastic, like 110 out of 10, so review this and then go and read and review hers!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **__Hey guys, sorry this update took so long, Liyorah and I both had exams – she, her finals and I, my midyears – so we took two weeks off. Just a warning for this chapter, it contains GRAHPIC content, not in a sexual sense, but a family is murdered. If that's not something you want to read then don't read it! But, other than that, enjoy!_

**Chapter Five**

As I had left the businessman's car too far away for me to pick up, I had to steal another one. Not that I minded stealing a car, it just meant that I would have to leave Victoria at the cabin for a little while longer while I went to find one. I should have given her a higher dosage of sleeping pills.

Despite her fear when I'd forced her to take the drugs - there was no sweeter sound than that of a human heart rate accelerated with terror - I hadn't given her a very high dosage and she wouldn't be deeply out for very long. She wouldn't be able to articulate anything for at least four hours and she would be uncoordinated for that same length of time. Driving at my speed, she would still be helpless when we got to the house I'd scouted out early last week. It was an isolated house which backed onto a heavily wooded area, the family had been in the newspaper a few weeks ago after the three year old girl left the back sliding door open and a bear had got in.

The father was a local park ranger and his wife was a stay at home mother for their six children. The children ranged in age from ten months to sixteen years and I would admit that I was looking forward to killing the entire family. I did like a good family reunion.

It was also convenient for me because, since the house was so isolated, it would be weeks before anyone noticed they were missing. I had also managed to get my hands on credit card and license details of the father and had put in for four weeks leave under his name and had it approved. I would begin Victoria's breaking-in process at the house and, when the four weeks was up, I would leave with her and find somewhere else to stay. It was all so very easy.

The dark grey BMW sedan was doing 150mph quite happily and I was tempted to see if it could do 200mph without complaint. Victoria was sitting slumped in the passenger seat against her seatbelt. She had opened her eyes about an hour ago when I'd flagged down the BMW and told the driver that my girlfriend had fainted and I needed to get her to hospital. Once I'd been in the car disposing of the driver had been very simple - I hadn't realised just how thirsty I was until I had blood sliding down my throat.

I reached over to gently pat Victoria's thigh, as I'd been doing at fairly regular intervals.

"Not much longer now, pet" I crooned and she looked up at me with blank eyes. I knew she could understand me, but she would too drugged to respond. "We'll be home soon, then maybe we can give mummy and daddy a call? Should we, pet? Just to let this know that master's taking good care of you?"

She made an incoherent sound and I chuckled darkly "I think it's a good idea to pet, I'm so glad you agree"

I'd tried to find a good radio station, but the human who had previously owned this car had no taste, and I'd ended up ripping the thing out in frustration. I'd then thrown it out the window.

I reached out for Victoria's thigh again. This time, instead of just patting her, I slid my fingers up her leg and under her skirt. She made as if to try and shift, to get away from my fingers and I laughed softly.

"Alright, pet" I said, putting my hands back on the steering wheel "I will accommodate your request, just this once"

She made an inarticulate slurring noise and I chuckled.

"I'm sorry, pet? What did you say?"

She ground her teeth but didn't try to speak again and I pushed the accelerator harder. The BMW started to complain and, hissing in annoyance, I reduced my speed. I was going to have to get my hands on a Lexus again soon. I'd never driven a Lexus that couldn't handle driving at my preferred speed.

The house loomed ahead. It was quite a nice house, actually. The soon-to-be deceased park ranger and his family must have a bit of money stashed up somewhere. I had credit card details, they would probably have bank account details somewhere in there and I was running short on funds. Really, it was very kind of them to give me the use of their house, their money, their clothes, their blood...

I sighed in pleasure and then took a deep breath in. All those different scents: woodsmoke, moss, cream, strawberries, honey, lilac, roses, blueberries...

Who knew blood could smell so good?

"I'll be back for you shortly, sweetheart" I said to Victoria, kissing her on the cheek and getting out of the car. I locked the doors, more as a psychological thing than anything else, I could have left all the doors wide open and she still wouldn't have been going anywhere. I loved sleeping pills.

I strolled casually up the driveway to the house and glanced in the window. I could see the two oldest children - a sixteen year old girl and her twelve year old sister - sitting on a couch in the living room; they appeared to be reading a magazine of some description. As I watched the oldest one put an arm around her sister's shoulders and squeezed her close to her side. I felt anger, hot, sick anger, assault my stomach.

_You're nothing but a worthless bastard, James!_

I shook my head to clear it. They were dead, they were all dead! All of them! And ghosts didn't exist.

I jumped, catching a second story windowsill and pushed up the window and slipped into the house. I took in my surroundings. A bright yellow crib with a mobile hanging over it, revolving slowly, was the first thing that caught my attention. I padded silently over and looked down at the tiny, sleeping ten month old baby. I judged it to be a boy by the colour of his pyjamas and the blue blanket over him. I reached down and snapped his little neck without even waking him.

I strolled out of the room, across the hallway and into the next bedroom. There were two beds in this one, no doubt belonging to the six year old identical twin girls I'd seen when I scouted the house earlier. As it was just on midday, they were downstairs somewhere, I could hear them talking about something they called 'Barbie'. I decided that one must have to be a human or a six year old girl to understand what 'Barbie' meant.

I moved soundlessly downstairs and slunk into the living room where the sixteen year old girl and her twelve year old sister were. I stood in the doorway and waited for them to notice me. Feeling my eyes on her, the older girl looked up, and jumped badly.

"Oh! God, you scared me!" she gasped and then she looked closely at me "I didn't know mom and dad were having anybody over today"

I grinned, flashing my teeth at her "They're not"

I sprang at her too fast for the human eye to see and brought her down. Her little sister screamed and fled from the living room "Mom! Dad!"

I jumped her as she stumbled into the dining room, still screaming. Her two six year old sisters and a seven year old brother - along with her parents who had stood up to come and see what all the shouting was about - saw me do it.

Pandemonium would have been a nice way to describe what happened.

The two little girls and their brother screamed and stumbled away. The father swore and the mother yelled "No! Helen!"

The father knocked his wife back "Get the kids outside! Go! Go!"

I laughed and stalked towards the human male in a half-crouch. He smelled rather appetizing, perhaps I would drink him before I brought Victoria in. Judging by her attitude I was going to have to punish her soon and, as the risk of breaking her fragile human skin would be high, it might be a good idea if my thirst was completely...

There was the sound of a shot exploding and I felt the tickle of steel against my skin as the bullet ricocheted off my chest, leaving a neat little hole through my jacket. The human male had shot at me! I gave him this, he was clever. I would have to work on not getting distracted so easily in the future. Not that a human could hurt me...

I was doing it again.

The man screamed and threw the gun aside and went to run out the back door after his family. I caught him just as he reached the glass. His eyes were wide and terrified and I lifted him by the throat and gave him another flash of teeth.

"I'm going to kill you" I told him "And then I'm going to kill your family and set fire to the bodies and scatter the ashes. Once I've killed you, I'm going to drink you because you smell so good and I need to make sure I don't accidently kill my pet when I bring her in here"

I snapped his neck in two and threw him to the ground and ran out after the rest of his family. Their screams carried around the silent woods and, hopefully to the car where my lovely Victoria was. I was thankful that they'd run out the back door, away from where I'd left the car with Victoria in it. I didn't want to kill anyone in front of her... well, not yet at least.

After setting fire to the bodies of the wife and five children I went back to the house and drank the man's cooling blood before I set him and his baby son on fire too.

_Burn! Burn in hell, James! Here! Let me give you a taste of your coming eternity!_

I growled softly as dead voices rang in my ears, taunting softly and stalked out to the car where Victoria was. I was glad she was here, I could use some entertainment.

Sure enough, the screams had carried to the car. Even in her semi-drugged state, Victoria was obviously panicking; pulling at the door handle and banging feebly on the windows. She cowered away for a moment when she saw me coming and then sat upright, trying to look brave. But even she couldn't mask the shaking as I approached. There were tear stains on her cheeks, she'd been crying. Damn! She'd been crying and I hadn't been here to see it!

I opened her door and she tried to push me back.

"No! No! Help!" her voice was still slightly slurred and I laughed at her pathetic attempts to fight me off and scooped her into my arms.

"It's alright now, pet. It's alright. Did you miss me that much? It's ok now, I won't leave you on your own ever again, alright? We'll always stay together. We'll do the same things, play the same games, go the same places... I'll even sleep in the same bed as you, alright? Just so you don't feel alone and get scared again"

She looked as if she was about to spit again but changed her mind when my fingers 'accidently' brushed across her ass.

"Good girl, pet" I congratulated, kissing her cheek again. Until she got used to me that would be her little 'reward', then we could move onto more pleasing things. Rewards, punishment, it was all part of breaking her. Eventually, her reward for finally submitting entirely to me, for breaking, would be death; but I had a while to go before that time.

I carried her in the door and upstairs to the room which had originally belonged to the parents. There I put her down on the bed. We had some talking to do.

"Now, Victoria" I said to her, watching her glare at me. She was still too heavily sedated to move very much, but she could push and kick; rather feebly, it was true, but it was still movement and I wanted her to lie still. "If you promise to lie still like a good little girl, then I won't tie you up, alright? If you insist on struggling I will have no choice but to reintroduce you to those cuffs you were in earlier, understood?"

She nodded her head, the lesson from earlier obviously still fresh in her mind.

"So, I went over the basic rules while we were in my little cabin, so I'll go over the specifics with you now. If there's anything you don't understand just shake your head and I'll explain it to you, alright?"

She nodded. I could see a defiant light glittering in her eyes and I wondered if this day was going to go out without me having to punish her.

"So, I told you about standards of dress, but we're going address that again. You see, as much as I like this little ensemble, I can't see very much of you. Now, we can do this one of two ways, pet. Either you take off your skirt and sweater, or I'll take it off for you. Which will it be?"

She remained stubbornly silent.

"This is the part where you have to talk to me" I explained patiently. "You were quite happy to talk to me when we met at the club and when I found you while you were out running"

"Fuck you!" she hissed at me and I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, pet, I'm shocked" I told her, deliberately misinterpreting her words. "If I'd known you wanted me so much I would have taken you at the cabin"

I unzipped my jacket and shrugged it off and she watched me in horror.

"No! Don't! I didn't mean..." she tried to wriggle away, panic in her eyes and I grabbed her ankle to stop her going anywhere.

"You asked me to do this" I pointed out crawling up onto the bed to straddle her and pulling off her sweater. She squirmed and thrashed and I laughed softly. I wouldn't actually take her now, this was just for fun. I wanted her to do something for me and this seemed like a good way to get it done.

"No! No! Get off me!" she really was quite squirmy and I unhooked the bra from around her and she made as if to cover herself up with her hands. The sedatives were obviously wearing off rather fast, next time I drugged her, it would be a larger dose.

"Beg" I told her, flashing my teeth at her. "Beg and I promise not to take you"

"Damn you! Damn you!" she yelled at me and I sighed, as if disappointed. I was actually finding her struggles highly arousing and the loud wet sound of her heartbeat, accelerated in terror, was tremendously appealing.

I made quite a show of sliding her skirt and panties down her legs before unzipping my jeans and letting myself spring free.

"Goodness," I said conversationally, while she fought desperately against my unwanted advances. "Even I didn't realize how much I liked you, pet"

She looked up at me desperately and then whispered one word "Please"

"Please?" I repeated, pretending to be confused "Please what, pet?"

"Please..." she seemed to be struggling with it. It would be humiliating for her. Good. It was supposed to be.

"Please...?" I coaxed and she looked up and whispered "Please don't"

"Of course, pet" I said, getting off her and tucking myself back into my jeans. I picked up my jacket up off the floor and put it back on and turned to face her again. She'd curled up tightly in a ball on the bed and I smiled at her and sat down at her side, running my fingers through her hair.

"Say 'Thank you for respecting my wishes, James'" I ordered and she repeated it back to me in a terrified whisper, the fright of the experience obviously still fresh in her mind.

I ran my fingers through her hair and said "Now, before desire got the better of you, my darling, where were we? Oh yes! I remember. Standards of dress. Now, I quite like you like this, pet, but, if you're a little uncomfortable, I understand completely, there are some clothes in the bags I brought. If you want them tell me now.

"I would like them" she said in a flat expressionless voice and I smiled "Of course. I'll just go and get them"

I was half way out the bedroom door when I called back "Oh, and, Victoria. If you try and run away I will drag you back and we might skip the first three stages of punishment and I'll play a little more creative game with you, understand?"

She nodded, real terror in her eyes and I ran downstairs at my normal speed, out to the car and I grabbed the bags from the backseat before I ran back inside. It probably took all of one second before I was back upstairs with Victoria. She was still curled up in a little ball, the sight would have broken my heart... if I had a heart. As it was, it had stopped beating a long time ago, centuries ago.

_Useless boy!_

I had no heart, everyone in my life even before my transformation had made sure of that.

I put the bag down on the floor beside the bed and sat down next to her again.

_**A/N: **__What did you think guys? I'm beginning to think that nobody likes James' side of the story because I've only got one review. I don't mean to beg, but if nobody likes it then I'll stop writing it, tell me what you think in a review. PLEASE!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: **__Talk about the long-awaited chapter! This one has been in the works for weeks! I actually think it's the best chapter yet! Once you finish reading it, go over and read Liyorah's corresponding chapter. I guarantee you'll be blown away! Also, a quick warning, this chapter contains physical as well as mental abuse. Read with caution._

**Chapter Six**

"James," she whispered, her voice constricted with what I hoped was terror. "James, what are you?"

I smirked, she was clever. But intelligence was not a particularly desirable trait in a woman.

"For me to know, pet," I told her, playfully pressing her nose, "and you to find out."

She looked frightened and I ran my fingers gently through her hair, the gesture probably would have been comforting... if I wasn't handing her a bag full of underwear and hadn't just pretended that I was about to rape her.

"You're not human," she whimpered like a frightened child and I could hear her heart rate accelerate to a dangerously high level. Hmm, I would have to watch that. I would have a lot of explaining to do if I brought Victoria Sutherland, the daughter of a judge who mysteriously disappeared from her apartment in the middle of New York, to a hospital with a serious heart condition that she hadn't shown any symptoms of the twenty or so years of her life.

I laughed "I'm not," I breathed in her ear. "But, with both of our best interests at heart" - not that I had a heart - "I think it would be best if you forgot about that for a moment, alright?"

She took a few breaths and I continued to stroke her hair. She was like a porcelain doll, seemingly hard on the outside but, somewhere behind the painted mask, her hollowness had made her lonely. She was also just as breakable as the aforesaid doll.

When her heart rate had slowed, I bent down and kissed her cheek gently.

"Good girl," I congratulated, and she ruined the moment by saying, "You're so cold."

"If you mention my inhumanness one more time I'm going to punish you, Victoria Sutherland, and it won't be pleasant, understand?"

She took a deep breath and I was about to continue before she said "Forget about it? Don't mention it?"

I sighed, opening my mouth to speak but she continued, her fury rising, probably driven by her helplessness.

"I should just not know... not know anything that's happening to me? Why would you threaten me for wanting to know? Why can't I know?"

You don't want to.

_Do you know what you are now, James Witherdale?_

I shook my head to clear it, pushing Mercy's hated voice to the back of my thoughts.

SMACK!

It took me a minute to understand where the noise had come from, what had touched me and why Victoria had cried out in pain.

I glanced down to see her clutching her hand, pulsing bright red, to her chest and then it all came together. The feisty little bitch had slapped me!

She stared at her hand, then at me and then, fear clouding her eyes, back down at her hand. Hmm, did I punish her now? Or did I wait; let her see a softer side to me? I chose the latter.

"You shouldn't do that, pet," I crooned gently, running my fingers through her hair. "You've hurt yourself now, and I can't have that. What would I tell the nurses on duty if I had to take you to a hospital, hmm?"

She didn't look at me, but stared down at her hand and I gently took it inbetween my own palms and held it, letting the cold of my palms hopefully ease the pain of her stinging hand. I rubbed a little bit, cooling her inflamed fingers with mine. I liked the feel of her hand. Soft, warm and fragile; I could crush it so easily with just the slightest of pressures... and yet, I didn't want to. A strange feeling, a sudden protectiveness swarmed up inside me as I cradled Victoria's gently throbbing hand. But the feeling was gone as quickly as it had come. I dropped her hand like it was red hot and fought the impulse to move away from her.

Thirst, I told myself. I'm just thirsty, that's all. Possessive urges over prey. Convincing myself that it had been nothing more than that, I reflected back. Despite the pain it had caused her, this would be a good lesson for Victoria; she couldn't hurt me even if she tried.

"Alright, I think you learned your lesson from that, Victoria, so I'll let it go. If you do that again, I won't be so lenient. Do you understand? Answer 'yes' or 'no'."

"Yes," came the flat, expressionless voice that I was coming to associate with surrender. It was quite a surprise after her outburst from a moment ago, but she really did appear to have learned her lesson.

"Now, as I told you before we got off topic, there is clothing in those bags, my little darling, and you're welcome to wear any of it. Would you like me to go outside while you change?"

"Yes," came the flat monotone and I gently kissed the top of her head - "Alright, pet, you just give me a call when you're done" - and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I suppressed a dark chuckle. Oh, I wished I could be in there to see her face when she saw what was in those bags.

I heard her start going through the bags full of skimpy, lacy underwear and her heart rate spiked. I guessed it was in anger or frustration, perhaps both; she didn't seem like the type to docilely accept that I expected her to dress in underwear for the rest of her life.

After twenty minutes the flat monotone sounded from the other side of the door, "I'm dressed."

I went back into the room to find Victoria curled up on the bed in her normal position. I would have to address that. Her body was mine, so she didn't have the right to hide herself from me if I wanted to look at her.

As far as I could tell, she was dressed in a pair of baby-blue lacy 'boy shorts' - why they had been given such a name I would never know - and the matching camisole. It was probably the most modest piece of lingerie that I had brought for her and I smiled, before you could break the horse you must make it as comfortable as you were able in its discomfort.

"There, is that better, pet?" I crooned and she ignored me utterly, looking as if she wanted to be absolutely anywhere but here with me.

"Now," I adopted a more business like tone, "You have some very bad habits, pet, habits that you will need to break if you expect me to take care of you. First of all, you are going to uncurl yourself and you are never going to curl up whilst in my presence again, is that understood?"

She nodded but refused to uncurl herself.

"Are you cold, pet? If you are, simply say so and I will turn the heating on. Now, uncurl!"

"I want some clothes," her voice took on a rebellious edge and I sighed.

"And I want you to uncurl, but that doesn't seem to be happening, does it," I pointed out and she glared at me, a defiant spark back in her eyes. If she wanted to be spanked...

"I will make the rules regarding the rest of your life, Victoria. I own you, you have no rights anymore!"

"I'm a human being!" she hissed at me. "I have rights!"

"To me, Victoria, you're merely one of a large herd of cattle destined for an abattoir and, last I checked, cattle didn't have rights. Now, you are one of the more fortunate cattle in the herd, my dear, because I have chosen to extend your life and I will take good care of you while doing so. In return, you will do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you to do it. Am I clear?"

"I'll tell you what's clear," Victoria said, any hint of fear gone from her eyes and face. "That you're a bastard! A disgusting, heartless, soulless bastard who..."

I didn't even let her finish. My vision took on a red tinge and I felt anger and hate boiling up in me. Bastard. She'd called me a bastard. She knew...

I grabbed both sides of her face, pressing just hard enough to cause her pain but not to break anything.

"Never," I growled, my lips rolling back off my teeth, my face inches from Victoria's, "call me that again, do you understand me, girl?"

She struggled desperately against my grip, her fingers wrapped around my wrists, trying to pull my hands away. I shook her, "Do you understand!"

Her foot moved and I felt its warmth press hard against my groin and I drew back for a moment, my anger dissipating in an instant; distracted and confused, I tried to understand why Victoria's leg had pressed suddenly against me and why she had then withdrawn it with a yelp of agony. Had she...? Would she actually...? Anger clouded my vision again, but it was not as vicious as before, it was tinged with sadism and the desire to inflict pain on the innocent and helpless young woman who lay before me.

"Very well," I hissed. I was angry with her for attempting, however futilely, to kick me in the groin, and excited at the thought of actually being able to cause her injury. "If you're like it that way, Victoria, then we can do it that way."

She wouldn't even have had time to blink before I had her naked, cuffed, gagged and hanging across my lap. I ran the hand that wasn't holding her down across her ass, patting her very gently once in a while. She made a muffled scream through the gag, struggling desperately and I twined my free hand through her hair in a mock-comforting way, moving my hand away from her backside with deliberate slowness. I was about to administer the first slap when a stray thought got my attention. What if I split the skin and she started bleeding when I wasn't expecting it? Not that I would actually drink from her backside, the very idea was disgusting, but still...

I wasn't thirsty, but if fresh blood spilled onto me and I wasn't expecting it then I could very easily lose control and that would bother me immensely. Also, even if I managed to keep control, any serious damage done to her backside would cause complications to my future plans for her...

I made the decision: no spanking.

It had probably taken me all of half a second to make the decision and I threw her from my lap onto the bed and, for her benefit, I muttered, "No, no, too risky."

She wriggled and squirmed as she tried to get out of the cuffs and I laughed softly at her efforts. I wasn't finished yet.

Quick as a flash, I had her on her front, so that I could get to her back, her hands cuffed above her head to be bed head and was sitting back over her legs and buttocks. I pulled the whip from one of the bags and ran the tails lazily over her back. She struggled desperately and I drew my arm back, putting as much force as was safe into my swing. As I brought the whip down towards her milky flesh, I decided that my decision had been a good one. I was expecting blood and, as experience had taught me, if I expected there to be blood, then I very rarely reacted to it in the way I would if I wasn't expecting blood.

The whip cracked down over Victoria's back and her cry of agony was muffled by the gag stuffed in her mouth.

"There, pet," I crooned softly, wrapping the last of the bandages around her back, "feel better?"

She continued to try and fight her sobs and I sighed, "Would you like me to do that again, pet?"

"No," she whispered in a small voice and I nodded and then lay down on the bed next to her so that we were face to face. She made to roll away but I put an arm around her to keep her facing me.

"Then answer my question, does it feel better now with the bandages on?"

"Y-Y-Yes," she stammered and I smiled and kissed her gently on the lips, that reminded me of another thing I had to talk to her about.

"Pet," I whispered, stroking her cheek with my thumb. She was so warm, so soft and her cheeks glistened with tears - hot, wet tears. I felt lust rise in me as I imagined what other parts of her might be warm and soft and wet. "I think I need to teach you how to react properly."

She looked at me, confusion rather than terror reflected in her wide, green eyes. Well, that was a start.

"What, what do you mean?" she asked shakily and I felt my lust continue to rise. Focus, I reminded myself. Control.

"How to react, when I kiss you, when I touch you..." my voice trailed off huskily as I imagined it."You will react to me - you will leave me satisfied. I want to hear your moans, your whimpers, you begging... do you understand, pet?" I pulled her into a tighter embrace, resting my chin on the top of her flaming head. "Just answer 'yes' or 'no'"

She said nothing and I sighed too quietly for her to pick up. She'd been doing so well... but there was more than one way to answer this question.

I pushed her out of my embrace, grabbed the hair on the back of her head in a vice like grip and pressed my lips against hers. She squirmed and jumped badly, trying to fight me off. I kept my grip firm and shifted my lips slightly to whisper, "A cane hurts much worse, pet."

The movement of her lips was small, hesitant, but it was definitely there. She was kissing me back. Something in my stomach flipped. Satisfaction, I told myself firmly. Nothing more, nothing less. I liked having her warm, soft lips against mine.

"That's a good little girl," I praised her, moving my lips back to kiss her again. I licked at her bottom lip, my intention very clear. She refused to open her mouth and I sighed softly again. Did she really think she could stop me having what was mine?

I moved my hands down her body until I reached her breasts. I pinched one of her nipples, not enough to hurt her badly but hopefully enough to open her mouth. Ah, sweet success! She gasped and I slipped my tongue into her warm, wet mouth.

She seemed to stiffen as I brushed my tongue against hers, trying to entice her tongue to dance with mine. She started pushing hard against my chest, as if she was trying to fight me off. I wasn't finished and I didn't release her until I was. When I did, she gasped for air as if it was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted, ah, of course! I would have to remember that she was human and, unlike me, she needed to breathe.

"That's enough for now, pet," I told her. "That was, however, the absolute minimum expectation, dear. As I said, if you cannot -" or will not I added silently in my head - "pleasure me, the consequence will be very severe. I expect much better next time.

She looked up at me with hatred in her eyes. But it was a hatred that was tinged with something I wasn't sure I wanted to see this early on: submission. I got off the bed, not wanting to think about what that might mean, and looked down at the underwear I'd ripped from her body. Shame it was ruined, I had quite liked the baby blue lace against her milky skin and fiery hair.

"Get dressed, Victoria," I ordered, indicating the bag of 'clothes' that had been spilled across the bedroom floor. "I'll get you something to eat, after all, you must be very hungry, my little pet."

I went to walk out the door when I thought of something and stopped.

"This room," I told her, "and the bathroom and the only rooms you are allowed in, pet, unless I am with you," I smiled sadistically before going on. "You don't want to find out what will happen to you if you so much as take a step out of the bedroom."

With that I walked out of the bedroom door and closed it behind me. I saw no need to lock it, she would be well aware by now that I did not make idle threats.

_**A/N: **__Well…? Did you like it? If you did, leave me a review and tell me why you liked it. I managed to twist my ankle really badly today, so I'm in a lot of pain and a review would be the best painkiller! Pretty please? Also, make sure you read Liyorah's, she really is amazing!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **__Sorry about the wait for this chapter guys. School's back for Liyorah and I'm approaching my finals in Australia, so we're both really busy. It's a wonder we even have _time _for 'Held'! I guess we just love it so much!_

**Chapter Seven**

Thinking, perhaps stupidly, that she wouldn't try anything silly while I was gone, I wandered downstairs to find her something to eat. I knew enough about humans to know that, with the stress she was under, she would need to eat. But, then again, controlled starvation never killed anyone... or, not anyone who I didn't want to kill, anyway. I would give her just enough to fill her up, but so that she would be hungry again within a few hours. It was the perfect balance and another step in breaking her. I wasn't entirely sure, but I thought it would humiliate her to have to ask, or - more accurately - beg, for food.

I went through the family's cupboards, trying to find something simple I could cook. Not that I could cook very much, or very well. In my human years, cooking had been women's work and, since I'd been turned, I'd had no need to learn. Cooking and vampirism could exist quite freely of each other with no problems at all.

Eventually, I found some strange, dried substance that proclaimed itself to be 'Two Minute Noodles' and didn't require much preparation. I filled a jug and set it boiling and tipped in the dried flavour and vegetables. How could humans eat like this?

From upstairs there was a loud crash, like glass breaking. What on earth had that damned girl done now?

I ran back upstairs at my normal speed and stopped outside the bathroom door. I could hear Victoria breathing hard. Her heart rate was up and I could smell the intoxicating scent of adrenaline. I inhaled deeply; glad I had stated myself completely on the family who had lived her previously before kidnapping this girl.

"Pet," I called softly through the door, deciding to give her a chance to escape punishment. "Pet, come on out now."

When I got no response I smiled to myself. She really was a treasure.

"Let's not play hide-and-seek, sweetheart," I told her. "I'm really rather good, and I have a feeling you don't like to lose."

Hide-and-seek. That could be interesting. Let her run away and then see if I could catch her. Maybe I would do that... but later. Now I had to get her out of the bathroom before she did something stupid!

I heard movement from behind the door, but she was retreated from it, not going the way I wanted her too.

"Using my rules against me." I chuckled. "Alright, let's see what's behind this door."

I caught the knob and turned it, meeting very little resistance from the locked door. I stepped into the bathroom and noticed two things. First of all, the crashing sound had been the mirror breaking. Second, the sun was out, it was coming in through a high window and dancing off the broken shards of mirror. Damn! I didn't want Victoria to see my skin this early!

Then I noticed Victoria. She was standing at the far end of the bathroom, a broken shard of the mirror in her hand.

"S-Stay back!" she ordered, holding the broken bit of mirror in front of her like a sword. "Stay away from me!"

I chuckled again. "Oh, pet. Oh precious, precious pet," I patronized. "Do you really think that a little shard of glass is going to hurt me?"

"Let's find out," she said and she ran at me. It was amusing, just how slow she seemed to come at me. I stepped forward to meet her, the sunlight hitting my face, causing it to shimmer like the broken mirror on the floor. She stopped dead, the glass still in her hands.

"You, you..."

But I wasn't listening. She was bleeding. Just a tiny cut to her finger. Small, insignificant... and oh so tempting. My glittering, stone hard hand shot out to grab hers and she screamed. From somewhere far, far away I heard bone crunch.

"You're hurting me!" she shrieked from down a long tunnel. "Please James! You're..."

The rest of her words blurred into nonsense sounds as I looked at the single red drop on her finger. I brought it to my mouth and gently licked the blood from it. She tasted so good!

From where I was, lost in the red haze of bloodlust, I heard a sound, like a gasp. I wrenched myself back to the present just in time to catch Victoria before she hit the white tiles of the bathroom floor. I didn't want her to bleed anymore.

I carried her out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. I put her down on the bed as gently as possible. I'd already broken something in her hand, I didn't want to break anymore of her. Not yet, at least. Once she was on the bed, I looked down at her hand. I hissed in annoyance. Every bone in her right hand was broken, badly too. It looked as if someone had beaten it with a blacksmith's hammer!

I cursed, realizing that it would need a splint and I needed to hunt.

Weighing everything up, I decided that a hunt would not only be much more entertaining than splinting Victoria's hand and watching her sleep, but was also much more necessary for her physical safety. Besides that, waking up in pain would be a good lesson for her. She couldn't beat me, no matter how hard she tried. I would win every time.

I went downstairs and picked up the soggy bowl of 'Two Minute Noodles' and a spoon. I carried them up to the bedroom and put them on the bedside table. I wrote her a note as well and stuck it on the side of the bowl. She would see it when she woke up. Finally, I cuffed her ruined hand to the bed, using a lockable metal cuff so that she couldn't undo it with her free hand, and put a blanket over her. It wasn't that I didn't want her to be uncomfortable, but I doubted that cold would help with shock.

I bent down and gentle pressed my lips to hers. "I'll be back for you soon, my sweet."

The scream was loud, terrified, pain-filled and immensely satisfying.

I moved my hand from where I'd broken my victim's arm and smiled kindly at her.

"There's really no need to make so much noise," I said gently. "After all, there's nobody around to hear you and, even if there was, they couldn't help you." My voice turned dark and I chuckled. "No one can help you now."

The terrified, agony-ridden girl sobbed pathetically, blood oozing from the cut I'd made with my nail down her breast bone. Her hands bound helplessly with her own belt to a branch above her head. My morning, already going exceptionally well since I had tasted my sweet Victoria, was getting better with each shriek from my trapped prey.

"Can I ask, little human, does this hurt at all?" I moved my hand down her ribcage and pinched one of her ribs in half. She screamed.

"I assume it does," I told her conversationally. I broke a few more ribs for fun before I decided that enough was enough. I was thirsty and she was losing blood fast from that cut to her chest.

I brought my lips to her ear. "I'm going to hang your corpse from the tree by your throat when I've finished with you," I told her. "The humans will undoubtedly attribute your death to suicide. Such a shame, a young vibrant girl like you, so full of life... why would you want to kill yourself, sweetie? Don't you know suicide's a sin?"

I bit into her neck and she gurgled pathetically. When I had drained her completely I looked down at my jacket. While I'd drunk from her, the bleeding from the cut on her chest had slowed, but not so much that my jacket didn't have a red smear all down the front of it. That was one bad thing about being a vampire, my clothes always got bloody. Oh well, it would serve as another reminder to Victoria. After this morning's episode, she would have undoubtedly figured out what I was.

I turned and began to run back to what I was now thinking of as our house.

I was passing, at a much slower pace, through the small town where the house was located when I stopped. There was a newspaper stand outside a newsagent's. The headline and accompanying photograph had caught my eye. I walked over, unable to believe it. On the front page of the newspaper was a picture of a smiling Victoria, her arm looped casually around a young man I recognized as her former boyfriend - Luke. I picked up the paper and smirked as I read the headline: _Daughter of Judge feared to have been kidnapped._

I brought the paper, enjoying the way the pasty newsagent trembled as I paid her a little less then I was supposed to. The blood on my jacket and her natural in-built fear of my kind kept her from asking for the rest of the money.

"H-Have a good day, s-s-sir," she stuttered as I left. I smiled darkly. Oh, I was counting on it.

I ran the rest of the way back to the house. I strolled casually through the front door and stole silently upstairs. I could still smell the revolting stench of the human food as I neared the door. Victoria was breathing harder than normal, I put it down to pain from her ruined hand and fear of my imminent return.

Her voice then sounded as I put my hand on the door. She was talking to herself.

"I'm never getting out of here," I heard her whisper and I opened the door and went into the room.

"No," I agreed conversationally and her head snapped around to the door to watch me enter. "You aren't, pet."

Her eyes lingered on the red stain on my jacket and I saw her cringe away from me. I sat down on the bed beside her and the words I'd been longing to hear for the whole week fell from her lips.

"I know what you are."

I smirked. "You do?" I asked her, reaching over in mock kindness to brush a strand of hair out of her face. She jerked back from my touch and turned away. Her hand was still cuffed to the bed and I wondered if it was paining her. No matter, I would split her hand after the little entertainment session I had planned.

"You're..." she gulped, struggling with the word. A word that, up until now, had, for her, existed only in horror movies and folklore.

"You're a vampire," she choked out. Then her whole posture changed. She turned her head back to face me, self-assurance written all over her beautiful face. Her eyes were hard, daring me to deny it. Yet, behind the hardness, I saw a slight desperation. She wanted to be wrong.

I chuckled. Sorry to disappoint you sweetheart.

_A vampire? But, that can't be! They don't... I'm not..._

Again I shook my head, cursing my perfect memory. I re-focused on the task at hand. I was going to have some fun. And Victoria could do nothing about it.

"Very good pet," I patronized. She scowled at my tone. She was getting fiery. She seemed to get like this when she began to figure things out about me. No matter, I had the perfect bucket of cold water to throw over her.

"I have to admit, it certainly took you long enough," I went on, putting my feet up on the bed. I cocked my head to the side, an old habit from my human days, and watched her more intently. She was definitely in pain, but perhaps not as much as when I'd first broken her hand.

"And I know," she broke off for a moment before she went on, "you're going to kill me."

She tried to keep her voice steady, to stay strong, but the prospect of her impending mortality made her choke. I decided to play her game.

"Eventually," I agreed, nodding. "When I get bored of you."

I remembered the taste of her blood this morning and swallowed back the venom that pooled in my mouth. Not now, not yet. Thinking about it, she was going to be a tough nut to crack. We could be at this for a while...

I reached towards her. She made no move to stop me as I put my fingers under her chin and draw our faces close enough to kiss. "But you've got nothing to worry about, precious. I can see us going for years before that happens."

I saw he lips tremble and my stomach jumped in excitement. Cry in front of me, little Victoria, I thought. Expose yourself to me at your weakest.

My wish went unfulfilled. She pulled away from me, once again in control of herself. But she couldn't quite erase the horror from her eyes as she said: "And you're going to rape me."

Her voice was calm, resigned. Even as I watched, she closed her eyes and her breathing slowed. Was she excepting the inevitable, or building up the energy to try and fight me off when the time came?

"That's such a nasty word: rape," I told her. "I much prefer to think that I'm going to 'have' you, whether you want me to or not."

"In my world," Victoria said, her voice flat, "that's called rape."

I shrugged. "Maybe, but we'll save this conversation for later, alright? I have something I think you'd like to see, pet."

I reached towards the bed to pick up the newspaper I dropped on my way in - she hadn't even noticed - and handed it to her. "I want you to read this article."

She took the paper in her left hand, her right was obviously still causing her a lot of pain, and read the headline: "_Daughter of judge feared to have been kidnapped._"

Her breath caught in her throat and she stopped dead. I chuckled. We couldn't have that.

"Continue, won't you?" I mocked her. "You have such a pretty reading voice."

"Please, don't make me," she begged, the scared little girl making her presence known again. "I don't want to hear it."

"Well fine then," I said, taking the paper from her. "I'll read it for you, sweet."

Very dramatically, and even more unnecessarily, I cleared my throat and continued to read: "_Victoria Sutherland, 20, is still missing and police now fear for the college student's safety._" I stopped for a moment, chuckling. "Now, why would they think that?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm taking such good care of you."

She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away. She could look away, pretend I wasn't here. But she would never be free of the sound of my voice. 

I continued.

"_The student disappeared from her shared apartment between ten and eleven pm two days ago and police now fear that she may have been kidnapped._

"_Miss. Sutherland was last seen at her apartment at ten pm by friends Lucas Stone and Florence Chu. Mr. Stone and Miss Chu left Miss Sutherland at her apartment where she was studying for a university test. Mr. Stone and Miss Chu walked four blocks to the video store where they rented four movies before coming back to the apartment. _

__"_Miss Chu, who shares the apartment with Miss Sutherland said that the lights had all been turned off when she and Mr. Stone arrived back._

__"_'Everything was dark' Miss Chu told the paper 'So I thought Vicki (Victoria Sutherland) must have been asleep, so me and Luke (Lucas Stone) stopped yelling and I went to turn on a light so that we could watch the movies'_

__"_Miss Chu says she turned on the light and then went to check Miss Sutherland's bedroom and didn't find her there._

__"_'She wasn't asleep and it didn't look like she'd gone out. Her books were still on her desk, the bulb of her desk lamp was still warm... nothing had been touched. If it weren't for the fact the lights were out I would have thought she'd just gone to the bathroom"_

__"_'We thought she must have just left for some reason' Mr. Stone told reporters 'It was weird but we didn't think anything of it, (Victoria) Sutherland can be pretty weird'_

__"_When Miss Sutherland had not returned by three am when Mr. Stone left the apartment Miss Chu became worried._

__"_'I said to Luke (Lucas Stone) to turn his phone on in case she called and I gave her a ring. It went straight to voice mail and Vicki (Victoria Sutherland) never lets anyone go to voice mail'_

__"_Miss Chu notified the police yesterday morning after Miss Sutherland failed to come to her class for a test._

__"_While police first listed her as simply 'missing' there are now fears she may have been kidnapped._

__"_Senior Sergeant Dylan Lloyd told reporters that 'When we were questioning Miss Chu about Miss Sutherland's disappearance, Miss Chu recalled seeing Victoria dancing with a stranger at a night club, later that evening Miss Chu saw the same stranger outside her apartment window._

__"_'Miss Chu described the man as extremely muscular with long dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed in worn jeans and a backpacker's shirt and a pair of dirty trainers" Senior Sergeant Lloyd said._"

I chuckled again. Victoria's little Eurasian friend was a perceptive little thing. This would add a whole new level of fun to my game. "Hmmm, what a smart little girl," I told Victoria. "She's certainly made things more interesting now that the humans know what I look like. Anyway..."

__"_'We're not sure of a motive yet, it could just be a thrill crime, alternatively it could have been a well planned, well orchestrated kidnapping'_

__"_Miss Sutherland's parents, Massachusetts High Court Justice Phillip Sutherland and Massachusetts State Coroner Denise Sutherland, have spoken out for the first time since hearing of their daughter's disappearance, asking for anyone with information to come forward. _

__"_In a heartfelt plea Mrs. Sutherland begged anyone with even a scrap of information to contact the police _

I ran my thumb along the underside of her chin. "This is my favourite part." I took a dramatic and unnecessary breath.

"_'This is our baby girl whose vanished' she said from her home in Massachusetts yesterday 'Phillip (Justice Sutherland) and I want you to think about if this was your child who had gone_..."

"Stop," Victoria begged me, her voice a whisper. "I don't want to hear. I don't want to hear anymore."

Too bad for you then, Victoria. "Oh but we're almost done!" I said playfully and I continued reading from where she'd interrupted me.

"..._missing. If you know even a scrap of information about what has happened to our girl them please contact the police'_

"_The police are appealing, like the Sutherlands, for anyone with information to contact them._

__"_'You can even contact us anonymously" Chief Swan said "We don't need to know your name or how you know the information, just tell us'_"

I finished the article and looked up at Victoria. Unshed tears were glistening in her eyes and I threw the newspaper aside and reached towards her. She tried to pull away from me, but I ignored her. I simply reached for the metal cuff chaining her to the bed and snapped it. I took her broken hand inbetween both my palms and amused myself for a minute by letting her fret over what I was going to do. I brought her mangled hand up to my lips and kissed the back of her knuckles.

"Would you like me to split this for you now, pet?"

She nodded, refusing to give me a verbal answer and I darted away to get the first aid kit I'd seen in the bathroom. I was back before she had time to blink. I took her hand in mine and pressed it down on the bedside table. I must have pressed slightly harder than I meant to because I heard her whimper a little.

"You'll feel much better after this," I told her as I worked. It took me all of two seconds to splint her hand properly so that it wouldn't hurt her.

Once I'd finished I sat back on the bed and let my eyes rove over her. She was so beautiful, so tempting and so hard to adjust to. I would have to change my plans.

"It's getting harder to wait," I murmured. I was unsure if I was talking to myself, taking to her, or a bit of both, regardless, I kept going. "I wanted to adjust before I took you..." I trailed off, imagining the scene.

"I'll never adjust," Victoria spat. "So you'll always be waiting."

For someone naked and helpless with her right hand in a splint, she was certainly brave. Fortunately for me, my lust need not wait until she adjusted to her position.

"No, it'll be soon," I told her. I leaned in towards her, my eyes clouding over with lust. What was to stop me from taking her now? I could have her cuffed up in an instant, she was already stripped...

I checked myself, pulling back. I wanted to wait, I wanted her to be on edge and nervous.

"I don't see why you're complaining," I told her, chuckling. I reached up to stroke her collarbone, enjoying the warmth of her skin on mine. "Pet, you were practically soaking with just the slightest of touches back at the cabin." I moved my hand down her chest, cupping one of her breasts and running the pad of my thumb along her nipple. She shivered. "I thought by now you'd be begging me to take your sweet little virginity away."

Something changed in her eyes and she smacked my hand away. She didn't hit hard, nothing broke, but I saw the skin on her palm smart red. She appeared not to notice.

"Shut up! Just shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about!" She stared me straight in the eye, her lips quivering with rage. "I love my boyfriend! My heart belongs to him! It's not even yours for the taking."

I felt a surge of possessiveness rise up in me. Really? We'd see about that!

"We promised and I will give it to him! Not you! You don't own me and you never will!"

She finished her little rant and I hissed through my teeth.

"Maybe," I told her, checking my anger. "Maybe not. Regardless of what you believe, you're stuck here with me until the day I kill you and that day is not coming soon! Now, lie down, shut-up and stop yelling! There's no one to hear you."

She spat at me again and I sighed. "You don't learn, do you?"

Bandaging her back half an hour later after another whipping, I noticed that she was somewhat less vocal.

_**A/N: **__I hope you enjoyed. Chapter eight will be up shortly._


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